The Voices: A One-Shot
by Christmas Spirit of the Brook
Summary: The Voices are here to stay. Rated T.


_The voices. They punish in glee. The voices. They're hurting me. The voices. Why can't you see? The voices. They're killing me._

A lone she-cat sat in an empty cave, her face up to the sky, eyes gleaming in the darkness. She was remembering, remembering when she was not a broken shell of herself.

_Cherrykit bounced along, giggling. The reddish brown kit had nothing to worry about, not a care in the world. She and her brother, Crowkit were the only ones to be born to her mother, who was weaker than she should be to this day. The medicine cat didn't risk letting the kits nurse from their mother's stomach._

The she-cat let out a quiet grunt that echoed in the cave as a dull pang of pain shot through her heart. It was quickly over, but still painful.

_Cherrykit was suddenly distracted by something weaving its way through the woods, a mere shadow. But there was something off about it that she needed to investigate. Casually padding over, the small kit saw the shadow suddenly dart through the trees toward where Crowkit stood, toying with a clump of moss that he had torn off a rock. "Crowkit-"she started to say, but stopped and froze in fear. "What?" Crowkit asked, turning around only to see what she was staring at._

A sharper pain than before pierced her chest. She could now feel her heart making its way to her skin.

_The shadow was staring at both of them with huge blood red eyes. A low, ragged hiss spun into Cherrykit's ear like silk, "If you do not tell your brother that I am going to kill him, I will reward you greatly." At once, she knew it was the shadow who had spoken. She looked up fearfully and tried to peer deeper into the depths of that emotionless gaze, but there was nothing to search for. She was too afraid to reply to the shadow so in a split second, her brother was lying beside her, a sticky dark red liquid pooling around a wound in his chest. She stepped back in horror at the sight that lay before her. Then she ran._

The pain returned, sharper and more insistent. The she-cat collapsed, knowing that she would have to lay down when her time came. Otherwise, the voices would scream in her head to do so and that would mean more pain.

_Cherrykit didn't tell anyone who had killed Crowkit like the shadow had asked. His voice kept on returning to her head and one night, he came with a different voice. They instructed her to do what she needed to do so she would gain victory. All throughout her kithood, her apprenticeship, and finally her time as a warrior, she followed their words, eager to find the reward. The newly named Cherrystrike didn't care that the voices were multiplying and becoming increasingly louder._

The she-cat's head jolted forward as something ripped through the inside of her chest like sharp claws. She began breathing heavily and the voices began to shout at her to toughen up and that she wasn't a weak kit anymore.

_One full moon night, after Cherrystrike's third Gathering as a warrior, she found that she couldn't go to sleep. The voices kept on whispering in her head about things like murder and such. "Could you be quiet?" she mumbled into the nest so no other warrior would hear her supposedly talking to herself. One voice that she hadn't heard before whined in a high-pitched voice, "But we can't stop. Bo-" "Shut up, Honeypaw! Do you want to reveal information about our mission to this mortal?" Honeypaw didn't start up again for a while. "Well," she started slowly. "Can't we tell her already, Flightsong? I mean, she's getting close to her ceremony anyways." Flightsong was getting fed up with Honeypaw now. "WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?" she screamed, making Cherrystrike wince. "Here you are, carelessly sharing information as if it were just a thrush to eat! And I thought you were well trained." "But I am…" Honeypaw whined. "Obviously, you're not," another voice said. Cherrystrike stiffened. It was the shadow. "Cherrystrike here is unknowing of our mission and better with her tasks than you were. Besides, you left early so you would expect more experience from her. End of discussion. Now, all of you, stop talking. Our little Cherrystrike needs her rest." From then on, Cherrystrike began to wish she wasn't part of this secret society._

The she-cat shuddered as she remembered. Then the pain made her stop and start choking on blood that squirted out of her throat.

_Cherrystrike wandered through the woods, trying to detect the scent of prey. Finally, she caught a whiff of rabbit and sighed in satisfaction. Pushing through the brush in the direction of the rabbit, she finally pinpointed its location. Crouching down, she stalked forward until she was only a few whisker-lengths away. The mouse sat there unknowingly, nibbling on a seed that had fallen from a tree up above. Cherrystrike tensed her hindquarters then pounced on top of her quarry, ripping into it and quickly ending its life. Having hunted all day, she was exhausted and hungry, but she knew she had to feed the Clan. _Oh, just this once won't hurt, _she thought and carelessly shrugged. She began to dig into the prey._

The she-cat, filled with anguish from her sudden pains began to grind her teeth into the top of her jaw and tears began to flow from her eyes, making the blood in her mouth watery. "Stop," she hissed under her breath.

_All at once, the voices returned in her mind, bumbling away a mile a minute. "She's broken the warrior code ten times now!" "It's done!" "It's time!" "Come on now, Cherrystrike!" "Hurry up and eat your mouse already!" "I can't wait to meet you!" Confused, Cherrystrike looked up and where there used to be bushes and trees in front of her was a straight, clear path. It seemed to beckon her forward. So, she followed it until she reached a cave, still wincing from the loudness of the voices. She hesitated before coming in. _Do I want to do this? _She was scared at the prospect of what lay in the cave. But then she shrugged, as she had done many times before in her life. She had been uncertain before of the voices' tasks but they hadn't led her to any trouble. Cherrystrike stepped into the gaping mouth of the cave._

There was now something obviously pointy inside she-cat's tender chest. It seemed sharp enough to pierce through her skin and fur, but it stayed still, making the voices soothe the victim of her pains.

_In the cave, it was completely dark, so Cherrystrike stumbled through blackness until she found an empty clearing with one jagged black rock on the floor. "Come on now," the voices whispered in unison. "Go forward." The reddish brown warrior padded forward and sat on top of the rock. Then the shadow's voice and the shadow's voice alone spoke. "You have come here to this cave for a ceremony that has happened many times before. You have been a good student to us voices. You didn't even seem surprised when my mate brought her voice into your head. You see, I am Bone, leader of the organization of the Voices. You heard Honeypaw on the night of the Gathering trying to talk about me. I'm sure you heard her getting a good talking to. Please forgive me, but our society is very private and we do not want information to be shared with our associates prematurely. But now, you will be able to see us, the Voices every day of your life. We will constantly be there to watch you, not that we haven't been watching you for a while. In another cave in StreamClan territory tonight, another associate is being introduced to our mission. If you wish to learn more, you must take a pledge, so that we may know you are loyal to us. Do you accept this pledge?" The two blood red eyes had appeared in one wall of the cave, watching Cherrystrike intently._

After her comforting, the pain just started up again, stabbing her repeatedly. Her throat bubbled and she strained to breathe. Her sides and stomach heaved and she felt like clawing her throat out and ending this pain already, but she knew it would be no use. After all, they had said that they would follow her through life and death. There was no means of escape.

_Cherrystrike thought for a while. This seemed like an interesting opportunity to show off her skills. But then, what price would it cost her? _Probably nothing, _the reckless side of her thought. _If you've gotten this far without getting hurt, you won't get hurt this time. _But the logical sense in her begged her to listen. She wouldn't have it, though. "I've made my decision," Cherrystrike announced. "I accept the pledge." The once emotionless red eyes shone with wicked delight. "Good," Bone replied smugly. "We would've killed you if you hadn't accepted, anyways. Well, your pledge is put to place. You can reveal yourselves now, my friends." And then they came. Ghostly cats of all shapes, sizes, and colors began to melt out of the dark walls. They filled the cave in hundreds. "Hey, Cherrystrike!" a golden tabby apprentice with bright green eyes jumped up to her. A soot grey tabby she-cat drifted behind her. But there was something off about her. Cherrystrike's gaze traveled right up to the she-cat's eyes. She blinked in surprise. They were pure red like Bone's. It seemed that every cat had red eyes except for the young cats in the group, who had their natural eye color._

The she-cat struggled against the pain. "I don't deserve this," she hissed under her breath. "Yes, you do," the voices hissed back. "You killed all those cats so you deserve a punishment suitable for your crimes." She just gave a wordless snarl in reply.

_Cherrystrike found out that the golden tabby apprentice was Honeypaw and the older she-cat was Flightsong, who had scolded Honeypaw. "She was my former mentor," Honeypaw stated proudly, lifting her head up high. "I'll never become a warrior, but Flightsong says I deserve it." Flightsong dipped her head hurriedly and her blush gave away the fact that she was embarrassed. "Well, I don't praise her often," she said quickly. "True, but you're still a good mentor," Honeypaw beamed, rubbing her head against her mentor's chest. Cherrystrike stared in amazement at the two she-cats. It almost seemed like a Clan here, but… not quite. All the while, she ignored Bone's haunting words: "We would've killed you if you hadn't accepted, anyways." She would later find that it would've been better to just die than go through the pain for her sins._

"I am defeated," the she-cat cried out, dropping her head to her chest. "Just give me rest, please." But the voices had no sympathy. They attacked her, relentlessly destroying every last drop of strength in her body.

_Over the next few moons, many things happened. Honeypaw became an honorable warrior of the Voices and was renamed Honeybloom. However, she never grew older than her previous state and neither did any member of their society. The Voices became family to Cherrystrike and she constantly visited them in the cave, trusting them with all her heart. They were a bad bunch to trust, unfortunately and brought grief to her life unknowingly. She found a mate that she grew to love more than the Voices. Apparently, they were jealous of her liking and wreaked havoc on him and his sisters. Cherrystrike was deeply saddened and poured out her troubles to Honeybloom, who gladly listened. The Voices were guilty of their actions, but never repented for their attack on her close friends. But one night, Cherrystrike felt a pulling in her heart to go to the cave. As she began to walk along the well-worn path to the cave, she felt a faint pain in her chest. She easily dismissed it and finally, she reached the cave._

The she-cat screeched, "Why did you bring me here?! I trusted you!" The voices just murmured back, "We need you in our society." At that, the she-cat's chest exploded in pain and blood spurted out across the smooth stone. Her heart ripped itself out from her chest and skidded across the cave floor. The she-cat's head dropped immediately and her amber eyes went dim. The rotten, bloody organ lay still by her muzzle and finally, the voices knew that the she-cat had been put to rest.

_Cherrystrike suffered a terrible pain in the cave and closing her eyes, her mind went fuzzy and black. She awoke again in a grassy clearing with sunshine pouring down on her short fur._

The she-cat's eyes opened to blinding light and she blinked, feeling grass tickle her nose. She sat up and extended one reddish brown paw to clean her face. Her chest felt strangely empty and where she should've heard her heart beating, she heard only silence. She stood up and gasped as she saw a shadow weaving through the grass toward her. _Bone, _she thought. And at once, she knew her identity. She was Cherrystrike, who had lived through so much death, so much bitterness that she hardly knew who she was anymore.

Bone padded up to her and smiled wickedly. "I see you've come to join us," he mewed in his deep, broken voice. Cherrystrike glared defiantly into his deep red gaze. "If I had a choice, I wouldn't have done anything you asked me to do," she hissed back. Bone's eyes sparked in amusement and he began to purr, a sound like a snake hunting its prey. "Is that so, Cherrystrike?" he asked. "Well, if you believe that, I will have to correct you and set you on the right path. You did have a choice. You could've told the medicine cat that I killed your brother and none of this would've happened. You could've lived a happy life and had a mate and kits. You could've lived to a ripe age and died peacefully in his sleep. You could've been loyal to your Clan and we wouldn't have spoken to you ever again. In fact, I will show you an image of what your life could've been like."

A swirling bluish ball of fire appeared in front of Cherrystrike and she stepped back in surprise. There she was, Cherrykit bouncing along to her brother innocently. He was killed by Bone and the same voice came to her head. But Cherrykit didn't run away and keep this death to herself. She told her leader and medicine cat. They believed her and sent out some warriors to find the murderer of such a young kit.

They never found Bone, but no one was killed either. Cherrykit grew up, became Cherrystrike as she had before, and slept peacefully. She never met Honeybloom, but she did find a friendly she-cat named Hollycloud. They became best friends and when Cherrystrike became mates with Runningpelt, their friendship still never faltered. They had three kits together, Rosekit, Adderkit, and Sedgekit.

She watched them all grow up into apprentices then warriors, Roseflight, Adderfern, and Sedgepool. Just as Bone had said, she became old, retired to the elders' den, and died from old age. Only a few tragedies happened in her alternative lifetime. Cherrystrike felt hot tears pricking at the edge of her eyes. Bone smirked. "What did I tell you, Cherrystrike?" he mewed, rolling his eyes. "You had a choice, but you chose what every Voice has chosen since the beginning of time. Now come along; you have some work to do." He turned and Cherrystrike had no choice but to follow him.

They reached the edge of a familiar clearing and there were four kits playing in the middle. "What do you want me to do?" she asked wearily. "Kill the kits?" Bone nodded. "That's exactly what I want you to do," he meowed darkly. Cherrystrike padded forward and heard Bone's voice curling around her mind. "But leave one behind and instruct him or her to not tell of the death of their siblings for them to receive a great reward." He chuckled in her mind. "Leave the rest to me."

She did exactly as Bone had instructed her and eventually, the new recruit named Reedkit was following her and Bone's orders. She filled his head with her voice just like the previous Voices had done to her before. One night, poor Reedflight's heart exploded from his chest, leaving him a heartless Voice just like her and the rest of the society. Cherrystrike became an honored warrior of the Voices and Honeybloom became her best friend.

However happy Cherrystrike's new life seemed to be, she couldn't keep away the notion that she had made a major mistake in trusting the Voices that day when Crowkit was murdered. She was only one of Bone's recruits, after all. The Voices would disperse after they reached their true goal, wouldn't they? But they never did and Cherrystrike went on doing her job, hoping and hoping that one day, her career might stop and she could exist in peace.

Of course, it never came and one night, Cherrystrike asked Honeybloom about their goal. Honeybloom was confused. "We have no goal," she mewed. "We never stop, just keep on recruiting. Bone won't tell us why, but we follow him anyways." The reddish brown she-cat's heart began to sink. "So, we're never going to stop?" she asked in dismay. "That's right," Bone remarked, surprising the two of them. He grinned evilly, showing blinding white fangs. "The Voices are relentless and you, Cherrystrike will always be part of them."

_The Voices. They punish in glee. The Voices. They're hurting me. The Voices. Can't you see? The Voices. They're killing me._


End file.
